Economics and the Environment – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogWed, 21 Feb 2018 18:27:16 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4139259312Researchers Recognize Conservation Agriculture’s Benefitshttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/researchers-recognize-conservation-agricultures-benefits/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/researchers-recognize-conservation-agricultures-benefits/#respondFri, 07 Nov 2014 16:56:29 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=101451Recently, agronomists at North Dakota State University released new fertilization recommendations for corn. Normally, this isn’t news. Land grant universities have been providing fertilizer recommendations for years and also periodically update them based on new research. So what is the big deal this time? For the first time, a land grant university has recognized the benefits of a conservation practice to productivity and is changing recommended fertilizer rates accordingly.

A conventionally planted corn field increases the loss of fertilizer, raising costs for farmers and creating environmental problems down stream.

Historically, fertilizer recommendations have made a couple of big assumptions. First, that everyone tills the soil (and doesn’t use no till). And second, that soil does not change in response to how it is managed. Under these assumptions, the guidelines could be simple and straightforward (provide fertilizer recommendations in a tillage system), albeit failing to recognize significant errors.

With the updated NDSU fertilizer guidelines, researchers have begun to correct those assumptions. Not only did researchers develop fertilizer rates for producers using no till, the rates indicate that soils do in fact respond differently to different practices. How else does one explain the fact that NDSU gives long term no till a 60lb. nitrogen fertilizer credit on corn and 50 lb. nitrogen fertilizer credit going into small grains?

The credit reflects not only the higher soil organic matter in no till soils, after all, it doesn’t get lost due to tillage, it also reflects higher levels of microorganisms vital to aiding soil in storing nutrients, but also converting them to make them available to crops. Producers gain more productive soil while reducing their operating costs (in both fuel, equipment time, and now fertilizer). These new fertilizer rates will save producers over $35 per acre, just for using long term no till.

Soybeans planted using no till into wheat residue, reducing fertilizer costs for farmers and providing environmental benefits to everyone.

This is great news for producers, but just as importantly, everyone gains right along with these innovative farmers. When farmers can trim their fertilizer use while maintaining or improving yields, and at the same time reduce fertilizer loss to our lakes, rivers, and streams, we enjoy benefits across the board. The resulting improvement in water quality means better drinking water for millions of Americans. It also means better wildlife habitat leading to more opportunities to enjoy wildlife for millions of Americans while also stimulating a multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation economy.

This is a great step in the right direction. I encourage other land grant universities to follow NDSU’s lead and update their fertilizer guidelines to recognize for the improved nutrient holding and delivery capacity of soils under long term no till. In fact, don’t stop there. Other practices, not just no till, improve the soil’s productivity. Cover crops and diverse crop rotations also boost soil organic matter and soil microbe populations vital to a healthy and productive soil. And like adding no till, cover crops and crop rotations provide numerous benefits from wildlife habitat to carbon sequestration to water quality.

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]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/researchers-recognize-conservation-agricultures-benefits/feed/0101451The Toll on Gulf Oystershttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/the-toll-on-gulfs-oysters/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/the-toll-on-gulfs-oysters/#respondSat, 21 Dec 2013 13:45:30 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=89200It is small and slimy, and goes down easy with a little lemon.

Fresh Gulf Oyster at Wetzel’s Oyster House in New Orleans. Photo courtesy of donireewalker via FlickR.

But the oyster isn’t just a treat for seafood lovers; these humble bivalves play an essential role in the ecology of the Gulf. An adult oyster can filter as much as 50 gallons of water per day, and oyster reefs provide important foraging and refuge habitat for hundreds of different species, including many economically important species of fish, such as redfish.

Oysters live in estuaries—places formed where freshwater from our rivers and streams meet the saltier waters of the Gulf. And while oysters are considered seafood, they actually require this balance of fresh and salt water to survive.

Approximately 85% of oyster reefs have been lost across the globe. And while we don’t have exact estimates, it is clear that the Gulf is no exception to the global trend. For example, in Mobile Bay, maybe upwards of 80% of oyster reefs have been lost.

Gulf Oyster Numbers on the Decline

Despite this decades-long decline, the Gulf Coast still produces two-thirds of the nation’s oysters. But in the years since the Gulf oil disaster, state figures show that Louisiana’s oyster catch is down by almost a third. Some fishermen have argued that this decline is an ongoing impact of the oil disaster.

“It’s 98 percent off this year. That’s the lowest I’ve ever seen it,” said George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association. “It’s like a Teflon coating on my reef. My reefs are 60 years old and I have no spat catch at all.”

An ongoing environmental study—conducted as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment resulting from the Gulf oil disaster—indicates that scientists may soon be able to confirm this oysterman’s hunch:

Oyster eggs, sperm, and larvae were also exposed to oil and dispersants through direct contact with water. PAHs are toxic to oyster gametes, embryos, larvae, juveniles and adults and result in lethal and sub-lethal effects (e.g., impaired reproductive success). Intertidal adult oysters were also exposed to oil droplets and oil on suspended sediment and detritus.

Fall 2010 sample results suggest oyster larvae were rare or absent in many of the samples collected across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Oyster spat recruitment was also extremely low or zero in 2010 over large areas of subtidal oyster habitat along the northern Gulf coast. There was also low spat recruitment through the spring and fall of 2011 and the fall of 2012. Trustees are continuing to evaluate effects of 2010 oiling and associated response activities on Gulf oyster populations.

The response efforts are also part of the picture, at least in Louisiana. During the height of the spill, the state released large amounts of freshwater from the Mississippi River into its delta in attempt to keep oil away from the Louisiana’s shoreline. The volume and duration of the freshwater from these response actions affected oysters over a broad area.

Restoration projects recently announced by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation include oyster reef restoration in Texas, Alabama, and Florida. More projects like these will be necessary to reverse the downward trend for oysters across the Gulf of Mexico and to restore the health and productivity of the entire Gulf ecosystem.

Help oysters and other Gulf wildlife

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/the-toll-on-gulfs-oysters/feed/089200Speaking Up for the Froghttp://blog.nwf.org/2009/10/speaking-up-for-the-frog/
http://blog.nwf.org/2009/10/speaking-up-for-the-frog/#respondSat, 17 Oct 2009 16:23:59 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/nwfview/2009/10/17/speaking-up-for-the-frog/In my new book Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth, I write that large tracts of the vast Amazonian rainforest ecosystem may be on the brink of irreversible collapse if the drought and other global warming effects on the Amazon continue and deforestation is not brought into check.

Did you know that 17% of global carbon emissions come from tropical deforestation? What’s even more troubling is that rainforests absorb almost one fifth of global carbon emissions each year. Which is why I agree with Prince Charles: “If we lose the battle against tropical deforestation we lost the battle against climate change.”

And which is why I’m pleased to be a supporter of The Prince’s Rainforest Project. I joined with many leaders in the US to speak in this video on behalf of the rainforests. Over half of the world’s species call the rainforests home. The frog in this video is just one of the countless creatures, including humans, that are depending on us to make sure they have a safe place to live.